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His Wife, His Mistake
Chapter Nineteen: No One Else
Word Count: 1000
POV: Damon
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I never really left.
I told her I would — told myself I would — but the truth is, I never could.
I stopped knocking.
I stopped waiting outside the gallery like a fool.
But I didn't stop watching.
From a distance.
Far enough not to be noticed.
Close enough to feel every smile that didn't belong to me.
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I saw her today.
Not just her, but him.
A man.
Tall. Clean-cut. Hands tucked in his pockets like he belonged there.
And the worst part?
Arya laughed.
Not politely.
Not out of obligation.
She laughed the way she used to laugh with me.
Full. Bright. Real.
It nearly shattered me.
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I stood across the street, partially hidden behind an old oak tree, heart in my throat like I was fifteen again.
Coward.
That's what I was.
A man who said he'd give her space but didn't have the strength to walk away fully.
I wanted her to heal.
I wanted her to breathe.
But I didn't want her to move on.
Especially not with someone else.
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He handed her something — a flower maybe. I couldn't see clearly. Her fingers brushed his, and I felt my stomach twist.
No man should touch her like that.
No man should make her smile like that.
No man… except me.
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I clenched my fists.
Felt the ache in my chest tighten like a vice.
What was I expecting?
That she'd wait?
That she'd keep her door half-open forever, hoping I'd walk through again?
No.
I had my chance.
I blew it.
I hurt her — deeply, completely.
And even though I'd tried to make it right, maybe it was too late.
But still…
That didn't mean it didn't burn.
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I pressed my back against the tree and closed my eyes.
Trying to remember what it felt like to have her beside me.
Her head on my chest.
Her fingers tracing idle lines on my arm.
Her breath against my neck when she whispered, "Stay."
God, why didn't I?
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I let her go.
I told myself it was noble — that giving her space was the right thing.
But now I wonder if it was just fear.
Fear that I'd never be enough.
Fear that she'd never forgive me.
Fear that even if she let me back in, she'd never love me the way she once did.
So I stood back.
I watched from the shadows.
And now, another man stood in my place.
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His name's Ethan.
I asked around.
Apparently, he's a teacher. Kind. Stable. The kind of man you build a future with.
Safe.
Predictable.
Boring.
I hated him immediately.
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But Arya didn't.
She looked at him like he was a light in a storm.
Like maybe she was ready to open her heart again — not to me, but to someone new.
And I couldn't breathe.
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Because I still love her.
More than I can ever say.
More than I did when I first held her.
More than when I lost her.
More than even now, watching her belong to someone else.
And now?
Now I finally understand what she felt when she caught me with Sophia.
That stomach-sick, heart-clenching betrayal.
Even if it isn't betrayal.
Even if she has every right.
It still hurts.
More than I thought possible.
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I left without being seen.
I walked three blocks, barely remembering where I was going.
Ended up back at the lake, where I used to sit and dream of how I'd make things right.
Where I used to imagine her forgiving me.
Smiling.
Coming back.
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Now those dreams feel childish.
Stupid.
Because I waited too long.
I listened to her words, but maybe I should've listened to my heart.
Maybe I should've fought harder.
Maybe I should've kicked that door down and made her see how much I'd changed.
But I didn't.
And someone else did.
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I want her back.
Not just because of the ache in my chest or the way her name still lives in my every thought.
But because she's mine.
Not in a possessive way.
In a sacred way.
She's the mother of my child.
The keeper of my secrets.
The only woman I ever truly loved.
And now she might belong to someone else.
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No.
No, I can't let that happen.
Not without trying.
Not without one last fight.
I let her go once and it almost killed me.
If I lose her again, this time for good…
I won't survive it.
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Tomorrow, I'll go to her.
Not to beg.
Not to pressure.
But to speak.
Honestly.
Fully.
To tell her I never stopped loving her.
To tell her I see her, even when she doesn't see me.
To tell her she doesn't have to be alone — not anymore.
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And if she still chooses him?
If she says it's really over?
Then I'll walk away.
Truly.
Completely.
But not until she hears the truth.
From me.
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Next Chapter Tease:
Damon shows up at Arya's gallery — not as a shadow, but as a man ready to speak.